Vaibhav Sooryavanshi stands frozen on the field after missing the fastest IPL century

Three runs. That’s all that stood between Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and a moment that would play on loop for the next 50 years.

He had he has already surpassed Chris Gayle’s record for sixes hit in the IPL season just a few minutes earlier. Then came the chase for the record: the fastest IPL hundred, a record Gayle had claimed 13 years ago in just 30 balls. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was right there. 97 from 28 deliveries. But he didn’t get there, ducking into deep third man in the eighth.

IPL Eliminator Update | Scorecard

Yes, Sooryavanshi smashed 97 off just 29 balls in the Eliminator, one of the most pressure cookers in the IPL, dismantling the Pat Cummins-led bowling attack at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur on Wednesday, May 27.

When the over began, he was 71 off 23. The bowler was Praful Hinge, the man who famously took the 14-year-old’s wicket in his very first IPL and was not shy about it. This time, Sooryavanshi was in a mood to settle. He smashed three sixes and two boundaries, helped by some wayward bowling from Hinge.

Racing to 97, Sooryavanshi was not ready to leave the milestone for later. He went for the upper cut bouncer, chasing a hundred but found the only man in the region, Smaran Ravichandran, and that was it.

He couldn’t believe it. All evening, no one seemed to be able to stop him. Even Cummins looked a little short of his best. And yet Sooryavanshi revealed it himself.

That mistrust was written all over him. He stood rooted to the pitch for more than ten seconds, trying to comprehend what had just happened – a hundred for a catch, an IPL all-time record for a catch.

Abhishek Sharma was the first to reach him, running up to him and patting him on the back. Dhruv Jurel, who came in at number 3, paused for a quiet word before standing guard.

Sooryavanshi looked despondent. The disappointment on his face said it all as he made the long journey back. The long walk felt longer than usual. Photos of India Today

The Mullanpur crowd rose to its feet. Rajasthan Royals’ dig was like one. But while the world was celebrating 97, Sooryavanshi was already mourning the three runs he never got.

If it was a school play, you’d let him play. It was such a weird, proper paisa vasool knock, laced with 12 sixes.

– The end

Issued by:

Saurabh Kumar

Published on:

27 May 2026 20:20 IST